Page 15 of Consorting With The Enemy

I stared down at the wooden table littered with our futile attempts and searched my brain for a solution. Marchand stood to move closer to me and said, “Why not try a feather from my wing? Azazel is my family and there’s a good chance they’re together.”

Fuck, we all hoped Azazel had been able to find Ariel. The demon was powerful in a way none of us understood, but even he couldn’t survive long facing one demon army after another. They would slowly whittle him down, doing a bit of damage with each attack, and then send their strongest to finish the deed.

“Gabriel, do you have grandfather’s ring here? The one with the family crest on it?” Nic asked, an odd expression on his face.

“Yes, of course. Do you think we need it? How could it help us?”Had Marchand’s offer of a feather given Nic an ideaor were they back to Ariel being a member of their family?

Looking over at me, Nic answered, “I don’t know what the fuck is going on here, little brother, but Ariel is connected to us in some way. Fetch us the ring and let’s see just how connected he is.”

Minutes later, Gabriel and Nic stood across from one another, grasping their hands at the other’s elbow. The ring with the Gaudet family crest lay on a mirror between them. With a nod from me that let Nic know I was ready, Nic began his spell.

“Keeper of what disappears,

Hear me now—open your ears

Listen to this Gaudet request

Find what I seek, I demand no less.

Show me now what I have lost.

No matter how hard, no matter the cost.

By the Sun, the Earth, the Air, and Sea

Find what I need, what is lost from me!”

The air in the room crackled and the ring began to bounce up and down against the mirror. We gazed down at it, with Marchand peeking over Gabriel’s shoulder and squealing with excitement.

Chapter Six

Azazel

Having spent my second full night with Ariel wrapped in my arms, the first night being at the cabin, I’d already learned a few interesting facts. While I hadn’t noticed it when we were in the bayou, my man could only be described as a freezer—cold hands, cold feet, and cold body. The icy chills that rolled off him had awoken me early that morning. That would…take some getting used to. He slept as wildly as he lived and fucked—all over the bed and in every direction.

Standing out on the balcony, drinking my first cup of coffee, I realized I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d lived many centuries, and never once had I felt as…satisfied as I did right at that moment—and it had nothing to do with physical pleasure. Fuck, yeah, that had been off the charts, fucking good, but this feeling? I wasn’t sure there were words for it.

I peeked back into the loft, to assure myself he was still there, safe and sound and resting peacefully. After doing one more visual and mental sweep of the city and finding no threats, I went back inside to join my lover. That was another thing—I wouldn’t have pegged him for a man that lounged around in the bed most of the day. I wasn’t complaining. I liked him in the bed. All night. All day.

For the rest of our existence.

I poured Ari a cup of coffee and made my way toward the bed, a huge-ass, silly grin on my face. Only a few feet away, I realized something was wrong. The sheet wrapped around him was wound so tightly that it had to be cutting off his circulation. His skin, easily visible through the thin sheet, was a strange color—very pale with a greenish tint. Worse than all that, though, were the whimpers and moans coming from him.

The cup of coffee hit the floor, and I was by his side in an instant. After pushing his hair away from his face, I cupped his cheek and said, “Shhh, Ari. I’m right here. Tell me what’s wrong.” Beneath his icy cold skin, his face felt scaly against my fingers. Confusion and terror ripped through me. “Ari. Wake up, babe. What’s happening to you?” I pulled the sheet away and rubbed my hands along his arms and chest—they had the same scaly texture.

His teeth started chattering as soon as his skin was exposed to the air. “Cold, Az. Stop stealing my cover-ssss,” he whined and tried to yank the sheet back up. I refused to allow him to snuggle back into the warmth. Something was seriously wrong with him, and I needed to figure it out.

“Open your eyes, Ari,” I demanded. He seemed so lethargic…so fucking different. I gave him a gentle but firm shake. “Open your eyes.”

Obediently, they opened. He blinked at me a few times and tried for a weak smile. Smothering the gasp that wanted to rip from my throat wasn’t easy, but I managed to not give a physical response to what I saw. Instead of black, his eyes were a milky blue. Just as weird was the fact that after those first initial blinks, his eyes remained wide open—no blinks, no winks…nothing.

“I’m cold, Azzzz,” he muttered. “Why can’t you let me ressssst a little longer?” He grinned. “You wore me out lasssst night, angel of mine.”

I grabbed some pillows and propped them up behind his head, easing him into more of a sitting position. “Something’s wrong with you, Ari. You aren’t acting right. You don’t…you don’tfeelright. I need you to focus and try to tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”

He frowned. “Fix me? There’s nothing wrong with me. To be honest, I’m about as damn perfect assssss a sssssupernatural creature can get.”

I watched as he looked down to the spot on his arm where my fingers gently stroked the scaly flesh, and while his eyes remained unblinking, I could see an array of emotions flashing through the milky blue orbs. After that, he leaned his head back against the pillows and said, “Fuck, fuck, fuck. That’s sssssome goddamn fucking bad fucked-up ssssshit, right there. Motherfucker.”

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